For those following New Jersey's fight for the decriminalization and one day the legalization of marijuana it's been a tumultuous few weeks. Full of infighting and

On July 19, 2018 new Jersey City Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut issued a memorandum to his Assistant Municipal Prosecutors titled 'New Marijuana Decriminalization Policy' alternatively referred to as the 'Municipal Decriminalization Memorandum.' With this new policy Jersey City had planned to decrease some marijuana related offenses to non-criminal, prosecutors would be asked to seek dismissals for low-level charges, and defendants with either signs of addiction or a criminal past would be diverted to community courts. If charges aren't dismissed outright Hudnut suggests a fine of no more than $50.00 or five hours of community service. It would not have affected charges related to driving under the influence.

The very next day it was rendered void and without legal effect by the state's Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. Grewal released his own memorandum on July 24, 2018 as a direct response to Hudnut and what he viewed as an inappropriate use of prosecutorial discretion. Grewal went on to say that he would be convening a group of "criminal justice stakeholders" to advice him on the best possible solutions.

The memorandum also includes a request for all county and municipal prosecutors to adjourn any marijuana-related offense pending in the municipal courts around the state until after September 4th, 2018. A.G. Grewal will issue a statewide directive addressing prosecutorial discretion in relation to marijuana based offenses in municipal court.

The attorneys at the Simon Law Group are paying close attention to what's happening in the news recently to make sure we are able to defend our clients using the most accurate information